Hey.
I know a bit about Drupal and I get myself around it pretty well, however I have to be not just the webmaster but also the administrator of my site, and I am constantly struggling with setting up and maintaining the optimum environment for a Drupal installation. The main reason is a lack of administration knowledge and my obliviousness to the MySQL-PHP mechanisms; I barely know how to create a local server and I am doing everything "by the book"--essentially by what I can find online.
In a nutshell, I don't know the basics: Apache, MySQL, or PHP configuration are in very muddy waters for me because I can't answer the "why's". I'm a complete novice to PHP; don't know how it works, don't know how to use it. What's frustrating is that Drupal kinda promises it will handle this low-level stuff, but when you start using it, you inevitably realize you can't get just get by with HTML skills. I'm coming from a designer's background, and Drupal is constantly posing obstacles for me.
What I need is a no-fluff, practical, preferably Drupal-oriented crash course in setting up the right environment and configuration for PHP applications, and also a layman guide to PHP and MySQL. What is really infuriating is how all tutorials and documentation start with the assumption that the reader has already set up Drupal--well I need to understand the dreaded backend first!
Can you help out with some suggestions?
Comments
While not drupal related, i
While not drupal related, i learned php via http://www.phpvideotutorials.com/
disclaimer: the owner is a good friend of mine, so im rightfully biased... ;) however, the free tutorials assume no prior PHP knowledge, and provide an excellent starting point for learning more... there is also a very helpful forum community...
good luck!
Thanks, but I thought of
Thanks, but I thought of something like a book or a DVD, something that has been tested and helps a newbie start on the right foot.
Any other suggestions?